Extracting a liquid diene polymer with a liquid hydrocarbon and method of preparing casting of said extracted diene polymer

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PREPARING A POLYMER HAVING IMPROVED GELLING CHARACTERISTICS FROM A LIQUID POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HOMOPOLYMERS OF CONJUGATED DIENES HAVING 4-8 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND COPOLYMERS OF CONJUGATED DIENES HAVING 4-8 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS COPOLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTACTING SAID LIQUID POLYMER WITH A LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PARAFFINS CONTAINING 1 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND MONOOLEFINS CONTAINING 1 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE UNDER LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION CONDITIONS, SEPARATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE INTO A RAFFINATE AND AN EXTRACT PHASE, SAID EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING FROM 15 TO 35 VOLUME PERCENT OF SAID POLYMER AND RECOVERING THE POLYMER HAVING IMPROVED GELLING PROPERTIES FROM SAID RAFFINATE PHASE.